Can’t Chile and Bolivia just get along?

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Might a thaw be developing in the more than century-long Cold War between Chile and Bolivia? That was the talk following a historic ceremony in the northern Chilean town of Calama, part of the vast stretch of mineral-rich territory annexed from Bolivia following the War of the Pacific (1879-1884), a bloody conflict little remembered outside the region.

Bolivia’s humiliating loss cost the country its access to the coast, leaving the nation landlocked and its leaders perennially pining for a corridor to the sea.

In an act of conciliation, military brass from both nations paid homage Tuesday to Eduardo Abaroa, a Bolivian defender who refused to give up as Chilean forces approached. According to legend, Abaroa declared: ``Me, surrender? Let your grandmother surrender!’’

Abaroa was killed in the ensuing battle, and has remained a potent symbol of Bolivia’s desire to recoup its lost coastal access. New bilateral talks on the issue are expected to begin next month.

Posted by Patrick J. McDonnell in Buenos Aires